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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Software Issues and Discussion => Topic started by: Hodgkinson on April 05, 2007, 10:40:56 AM
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Hi there,
Im wondering (If it is possible) what would be the best emulator program to emulate MS-DOS on a A1200 with a basic 68020 and 4MB total RAM? Am I asking too much of the A1200 here?
One requirement for some of the software that I have is that the MS-DOS programs must be able (In some cases) to access the serial/parallel ports for interfacing to other devices, as some of the software that I have is control programs for other electronic devices.
Any advice appreciated,
Hodgkinson.
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I remember doing just that on my A500 years ago. I think the program was called PCTask which can be found here (http://www.vectorbd.com/bfd/abox/) (last item on the list)
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Pctask 4.44 can boot up win95. But probably you need a very fast 060 cpu. On my 68040/33MHz it takes hours to install and about 20-30 minute to boot up! :crazy:
So useless. So on a plain 1200 you can run speed.exe or something similar, maybe some older software which is exist on amiga too, but it has not so much benefit.
Maybe a powerup/warpup pc-task can do the job, but this is not saw the sunlight.
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or if you had a big box amiga, u could use one of those cool goldengate cards that are basically a pc on a zorro card that binds with the amiga ...
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Chill, he's just talking about MS-DOS, not Windows. :)
As I recall it, PCTask booted the 720k MS-DOS diskette in less than one minute, and it was in fact useable (for text mode stuff)
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or you could try to get your hands on PcX, another usable MS-DOS Emulator for 68k-Amigas. It's not that fast, but for DOS apps it should be enough.
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I actually miss the MS-DOS days. Microsoft still had a usable OS back then...
I still use the "DOS" option in WinXP every now and then. Like when I want to create 26 directories (A-Z) to store pictures, mp3s etc. "md a", "md b", "md c" is way faster compared to "rightmousebutton-new-folder-typeinyournewfoldername-enter".
Nothing faster to use than a command line OS :-)
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MS-DOS+NortonCommander was very stable and good IMHO :)
If you liked NC there is a 98% Amiga version clone of it around.
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PC-Task is the program you need.... version 4.4 being the latest and greatest, which is still 10 years old or so! More RAM will help you a lot if you can get it, as will an accelerator, but a 68020 should be enough to get close to XT speeds. You can run MS-DOS up to 6.22, but you're probably best with 5.0 as this came on DD disks rather than HD ones which your 1200 can't read.
Alternatively, get an A500! You can get KCS PowerPC boards for them fairly easily which have an NEC V30 on them (10MHz), 1.5MB RAM for the PC and Amiga side, and will access all the ports of the Amiga, as well as providing up to VGA resolutions (VGA is only mono of course!). A big box Amiga is still the best method though, of course - the GoldenGate being the best bridgeboard out there as it goes up to 486SLC2@50MHz and uses SIMMs instead of ZIP RAM. You may of course have to sell an arm/leg/granny to get one...
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McVenco wrote:
I actually miss the MS-DOS days. Microsoft still had a usable OS back then...
I still use the "DOS" option in WinXP every now and then. Like when I want to create 26 directories (A-Z) to store pictures, mp3s etc. "md a", "md b", "md c" is way faster compared to "rightmousebutton-new-folder-typeinyournewfoldername-enter".
Nothing faster to use than a command line OS :-)
I do not miss the days of MS-DOS, with fussing around with himem.sys, emm386.exe, only one program running at the same time, and fussing around with IRQ's and so, no, it's good that it's over.
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It depends on what you want to do when emulating x86 ms-dos.
I'd say VMWare or DosBox on a modern PC work better if you really need to run old stuf. But the best option is to get a real x86 from the junk yard. The amiga is not really good at ms-dos. and why should it be?
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the goldengate486 indicated above, is as good as a real 486slc :lol: I have one on one of my 4000s , it is like having 2 computers in 1 !
(http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p55/restqp/07022007004.jpg)
here on the test-bench I play Alone In The Dark on the A4000! full speed/gfx/soundblaster sound!
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Gah! Big pictures make me scroll right :P
Anyway, has anyone played with Bochs?
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As i Know Boch is for os4 or/and Morhpos. Not for Os 3.x .
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Or you could take a trip around and look for PC's on sale in a yard sale and install MS-DOS on it. Some people even give them away for free!!!
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What exaclty is your board keropi?
Does a 386 Commodore bridgebaord allows to play Alone in the Dark or such serious games?
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Doppie1200 wrote:
But the best option is to get a real x86 from the junk yard.
Nope, it isn't.
Dosbox can emulate a wide range of computers, from 8088 'till 80486. It's nearly 100% compatible. While a true 486 is too fast or even incompatible.
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with a bridgeboard alone the video is emulated it is better to get a real isa video card and soundblaster then you have a full speed fully capable pc in your amiga
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my bridgeboard is a GoldenGate 486slc /25mhz + fpu + isa CL5420 vga 1MB + ISA ESS 1868 soundcard + wavetable expansion.... it perfoms a little more than a real 386DX/40 , and runs currently PC-DOS 7... It cannot run DOOM at steady fps, but 2D games rule... everything that runs OK on a 386DX/40 runs great on the 486slc too! I had to sacrifice 3 slots of the A4000, but I don't care, on the last one I have a picassoIV+concierto+paloma :lol: with a csppc and kickflash+subway combo...
It's like having 2 retro-gaming machines in 1 case!
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Hi there everyone,
Thanks for all your replies.
Just to clarify things, the reason I’m looking to run dos on the A1200 is because the A1200 is my "shack" computer (See my photos, a HDD and network have been added since that photo was taken) and I really don’t want to have yet another computer filling up my precious bench space. Having said that, I have got an old PC somewhere that would be more than capable of running DOS.
It seems that I already have PC Task v3.1 (The Full version, as on CUCD 17), and I have MS-DOS, albeit v6.21.
Since V6.21 is on HD disks, any suggestions (Before I start installing PC Task) of how to load up DOS? I presume that once PC Task is running it requests a bootable disk?
Being able to load MS-DOS from a HDD partition (Transfer it over the network from a PC first) would also be useful.
One other thing...What exactly is PC-Task (Specifically v3.1) capable of? Is it just text only, or can it do sound? Basic graphics? How about drive and serial / parallel port access?
Thanks,
Hodgkinson.
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Hodgkinson wrote:
Since V6.21 is on HD disks, any suggestions (Before I start installing PC Task) of how to load up DOS?
If you have access to a real PC, you can transfer DOS to DD disks easily enough. You'll need to do a full install of DOS first (perhaps in a virtual or emulated environment such as the type provided by VMWare, Bochs or QEmu), then format a load of DD disks with:
format a: /t:80 /n:9
Then make one of the DD disks bootable with:
sys a:
Then copy some key commands (fdisk, format, sys, etc) to the same disk with:
copy a:
And finally copy the remainder of the "DOS" directory to the other DD disks, e.g.:
copy c:\dos\a*.* a:
copy c:\dos\b*.* a:
copy c:\dos\c*.* a:
... etc... until each disk is full, then repeat as needed.
When PC Task boots, insert the first DD disk, then use fdisk and format as you would on a real PC.
Then, to transfer DOS to the emulated hard drive:
sys c:
Then create a "DOS" directory and copy the rest of the stuff from the other DD disks into it.
Sorry if this is vague and/or incomplete, but it's been a long long time since installing real MS-DOS!
One other thing...What exactly is PC-Task (Specifically v3.1) capable of?
It can certainly do graphics (up to EGA and basic VGA as far as I know), not sure about sound, but will provide basic access to serial and parallel ports - "system-friendly" stuff stands a chance of working, but stuff that bashes directly on the hardware may fail...
- Ali
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I have PCTask 4.4 here and still have to install it to give it a try.
How does it compare to a 386 or 486 bridgeboard on a A1200 with a no FPU 060@66Mhz and RTG board?
Could it run Alone in the Dark well as keropi shown in this topic?
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Is PC-Task still shareware or is it freely available nowadays? I remember I have it on an Aminet CD somewhere (Aminet 7 IIRC), but that was a shareware version (3.0 I believe).
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4.4 is still a commercial version as far as i know.
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OK, anyone who wants some speed comparisons of emulators let me know. :)
I have, in order of PC speed (roughly):
1x A500 with KCS PowerPC board (NEC V30@10.7MHz)
1x A1500 with A2286 bridgeboard (10MHz I think)
1x A1500 with A2386 bridgeboard (25MHz)
1x A1500 with GoldenGate 486SLC25
1x A4000 (060@50, CSPPC@200, Voodoo III) with full PC-Task 4.4. Also full PCx.
1x AmigaOne (G4@800) which I think can run Bochs and PC-Task possibly
and also the obligatory A500s, A600, A1000, A1200 spare.
So if anyone wants me to test anything on any of the above let me know, but preferably
no large programs on my KCS board please (see the post I'm about to make re that!)
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4.4 is still a commercial version as far as i know.
That's sick. Charging money for emulating ancient computers on ancient computers...
But we're used to that with the Amiga. :-(
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I would never pay for software wich is not supported or developed, at least I would like the money to go to the original authors.
Not some guy selling old stock from home.
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spirantho wrote:
OK, anyone who wants some speed comparisons of emulators let me know. :)
I have, in order of PC speed (roughly):
1x A500 with KCS PowerPC board (NEC V30@10.7MHz)
1x A1500 with A2286 bridgeboard (10MHz I think)
1x A1500 with A2386 bridgeboard (25MHz)
1x A1500 with GoldenGate 486SLC25
1x A4000 (060@50, CSPPC@200, Voodoo III) with full PC-Task 4.4. Also full PCx.
1x AmigaOne (G4@800) which I think can run Bochs and PC-Task possibly
and also the obligatory A500s, A600, A1000, A1200 spare.
So if anyone wants me to test anything on any of the above let me know, but preferably
no large programs on my KCS board please (see the post I'm about to make re that!)
Interesting.
Could you try the above mentioned Alone in the Dark on both the 060 with PCTask and the A1500 with A2386? Or any PC based benchmark?
Would you sell one of these board by the way? Or trade (i have some serious hardware available)?
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I found an ancient DOS benchmark called mips.com ...
I tested with the gg486/25 and gave me that:
it is 22,72 times faster than a IBM/PC 4,7mhz
it is 5,48 times faster than a IBM/AT 8mhz
it is 2,69 times faster than a Compaq 386
sadly no more info on the hardware or speed of this Compaq386 machine...
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Hi there again,
Well, I've managed to find PC-Task v3.1 on a cover disk that I have (Totally legit, btw)...But that brings me to another problem.
I dont suppose anyone out there has a electronic version of the PC-Task 3.1 documentation/manual, as supplied normally with the software?
Another point, I see from what documentation that I have that the turbo modes allocate 8MB+ of ram or somthing, so would a 8MB RAM expansion + normal system ram just scrape through here? Or isn't it really sufficient?
Thanks,
Hodgkinson.
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I am currently trying MSDOS 6.22 with PCTask 4.4.
I have all four HD MSDOS install disk and my A1200 has a PC HD drive with a Catweasel.
I configured this drive as A: on the PCTask side but it keeps saying me "invalid boot disk" on startup, though the floppies are perfectly read on the WB side.
Anyone would have those disks in 720 Ko version so i can boot on my DF0:?
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OK, first thing...
I can't remember about 'turbo mode' but I know that dynamic mode on PC Task 4.0 or greater uses up 4x normal RAM, so that'd be fine as long as you only use 1MB for your PC. Try it and see... :)
Secondly, MS-DOS 6.00 and above come on HD floppies as standard. MS-DOS 5.00 comes on DD disks. You can put >=6.00 onto 720KB disks but it's hassle. What you should do is create a hardfile or partition and mount it from AmigaDOS. Then copy each file from the DOS disks into an installation directory, and run Setup from there. Of course that won't help you boot up in the first place - you'll need a method of booting up to get that far. You could try looking at FreeDOS and suchlike - that works on 8088 machines so should be ok on 3.5" disks to boot off, from where you can install 6.22 if you really need it.
Now... on to Alone in the Dark.
After spending all morning getting my 386 working (the dual port RAM was misbehaving - I've been using it as a guinea pig while trying to get my 486SLC-based A2386 working), I can say:
PC-Task interpretive runs Alone in the Dark quite impressively, but not really what I'd call fast. It may do at a pinch but you really ought to be looking at a hardware solution. A 66MHz '060 would help of course, mine is 'only' 50. It's playable when just moving around but when things start happening it's less good.
PC-Task dynamic is a lot slower than interpretive.
A2386SX (25MHz, 5MB RAM, Trident SVGA card) works acceptably but it's a bit stodgy. I wouldn't recommend it really.
GoldenGate 486SLC@25 (16MB 80nS RAM, Thunderbolt ISA CL-based 1MB SVGA, 8-bit Soundblaster II) works perfectly. Much more playable even with the soundblaster.
Overall, I was quite impressed by PC-Task, and the 2386 wasn't much faster that it... but the GG wins hands down. It's surprising how much of a difference the different chip makes!
So, my recommendation: nothing less than a GG486 or a 486-based 2386 (probably - can't get mine to work!). Of course if you stick an IBM Blue Lightning SLC75 onto that 2386....
And no, they're not for sale. :)
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The fastest bridge boards only feature a 486slc - a 386SX style CPU with 486 command set. Very slow imho.
Anyone who wants one is welcome to an old Pentium 200 that we don't use anymore. Runs circles around any existing '060 setup, let alone an emulated x86 on 68k.
I've had a 486DX100 single board PC lying around for a couple of years for putting into my A3000 - never really saw the point however and still fail to see it, when something you pick up for $5 at a yard sale is several times faster...
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@spirantho
Have you tried AROS on your emulated/bridged x86 systems?
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The fastest is an upgraded A2386SX- the fastest base model is the GoldenGate 486SLC2 which runs at 50MHz, but of course it's dead rare.
@bloodline
er.. well, yeah, on a K6 machine, but I'm not at all sure why you refer to it. Do you want me to try running AROS on the Goldengate? It's an interesting (and rather daft!) idea...!
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68k Amiga running PC Emulator-Running Amiga Emulator-Running PC Emulator-Running Amiga Emulator-Running PC Emulator...
Why's my system slooooooow? :-?
lololol :idea:
Sorry, it had to be said.
Hodgkinson.
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spirantho wrote:
Do you want me to try running AROS on the Goldengate?
Yup
It's an interesting (and rather daft!) idea...!
Yup! :-D
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Daft ideas rule. If it weren't for daft ideas, I wouldn't have the ability to catch C++ exceptions that are effectively thrown straight out of a 680x0 operation and many other stranger things besides...
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I decided to try it myself... Booting the AROS floppy disk in PCTask4... so far so good... though somewhat slow :-)
-Edit- Booting using the VGA, Slow ATA settings... something seems to go wrong when jumping out of supervisor mode though :-/
-Edit2- The problem seems to be with PCTasks lack(?) of FPU emualtion...
-Edit3- PCTask doesn't recognise the 040 FPU... :-(
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I have managed to run PCTask 4.4 with MSDOS 5.0.
I can't get past the intro screen of Alone in the Dark for now, but Wolfenstein 3D works well on my 060@66Mhz.
However, i can't get the games to run on Picasso screen (i have an Ateo Pixel64 RTG board on this computer) though i configure the screen mode. The black screen of DOS runs on RTG but the game itself goes PAL through my scandoubler.
Anyone running more games on it?
PS: by the way, just want to say that this thread is quite fun and thanks to it i have finally forced myself to use PCTask. I was usually to lazy to do that on my own. I hope there will be a straitforward thread called "Mac emulation" soon :-)
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Tried some, demos mostly; Abuse, Jazz jack-rabbit, Doom, even Tomb Raider demo (1-2 fps...) on PicassoIV RTG, no problems - perhaps a screen promoter could solve yours. I had ModePro, but can't remember if I needed it with PC-Task.
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Hodgkinson wrote:
Hi there,
Im wondering (If it is possible) what would be the best emulator program to emulate MS-DOS on a A1200 with a basic 68020 and 4MB total RAM? Am I asking too much of the A1200 here?
I'd try to legally obtain PC-Task version 4.x & if you need, the upgrades to 4.4 are free & out there on Aminet as PC-TaskPatch4x.lha
As far as someone having it in stock, someone down the line did pay the author/distributor. They don't get them for free, either.
Version 4.2 is where it begins with FPU emulation, so if your Amiga has an FPU, then PC-Task emulation use it. Since you're only using a stock A1200, FPU emulation is not applicable.
One requirement for some of the software that I have is that the MS-DOS programs must be able (In some cases) to access the serial/parallel ports for interfacing to other devices, as some of the software that I have is control programs for other electronic devices.
Any advice appreciated,
Hodgkinson.
I know that the parallel port to a printer works fine, but don't expect the serial port to be of any use, such as for a modem & such. Maybe PCX might be better in this regard, although I've never used it.
I had a HD partition for PC-Task 4.4, but when I installed my Subway USB card together one weekend with the Elbox FastATA Mk-III controller & installed FAT95, PC-Task 4.4 could no longer find it to boot. :-( I never figured that one out, so I'm going to have to re-install everything, including Windows95 version B (for USB).
I've got the GoldenGate 486slc/50MHz on one of my A2000s with the optional Monitor Master monitor switcher connected to it. I've also got another GoldenGate 486slc @ 25MHz that I'm considering selling. Both have the optional Floppy Disk Controller chip installed in them. I've got an extra FDC chip for the GG that I am selling for US$25.
My advice for a GUI on top of MS-DOS is The Breadbox Ensemble (http://www.breadbox.com/ensemble/geocats.asp?category=Ease-of-Use). You need at least a 386 for this. Imagine, an Internet access suite through a GUI on a 386, neat, huh? BTW, Breadbox Ensemble does not work on PC-Task, as it bangs the metal, it needs a real PC.
BTW, if you've got an A1020 5.25" floppy as I do, I've also got an original Microsoft MS-DOS 6.2 upgrade in low-density 360k 5.25" format. It spans 12 floppies + the Supplemental Kit (3 + 2 = another 5 more). I filled out the coupon in the MS-DOS manual that came with the s/w for the lower density disks from M$ & sent it to them.
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Thanks for the information!
Since I have just bought a 68882, found that I have a licenced version of PCx in a pile of floppies, and that you suggested that PCx might be better with the port access, does anyone know where I can get the PCx AmigaGuide documentation from, as mentioned on the Floppy disk readme?
Did PCx ever go above V1.1 (01/12/97) and fix PCxAFS? - If so does anyone know where I can get updates from?
Thanks,
Hodgkinson.
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bump
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I've copied the docs for PCx ver 1.1 here (http://amiga.serveftp.net/Temp/PCx1-1_Documentation.lha) if anyone needs them.
PCx serial port emulation seems to work better than PC-Task, I use PCx to run a number of DOS based 2-way radio programming applications, works fine.
A majority of the time I use PC-Task for running a DOS based Motorola 68HC11 embedded C compiler because the Amiga version isn't too flash.
PC-Task has two commands called "copytoa" and "copytoi" which is used to copy files from the emulated PC to the amiga, or from the amiga to the PC. These are incredibly useful for transfering single files.
I created a DOS script file which copies in the C source code from the Amiga, compiles & assembles them, informs of any compilation errors and copies the target executable back to the Amiga.
Runs faster than on DOSbox on the 3.5GHz windows 2000 box at work. DOSbox is good as you can adjust the number of emulation cycles done at a time, but it still emulates slower than PC-Task 4.4 on this 060. With DOSbox emulation running at a usable speed, the windows mouse pointer is very jerky and the rest of the computer nearly grinds to a halt. Go figure.
It's also worth noting that both PCx and PC-Task can use the same PC hardfile, so depending on what you're doing, you can use either emulator, but only have one hardfile.
Hardfile need to be located in PCx:HardFiles in this case (you need to make an assign "PCx:").
PCx has a good feature of generating a mountfile for the PC hardfile. This means you can mount it on the Amiga and read/write to it. I don't think you can have it mounted while the emulator is using the hardfile, for obvious reasons.
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Thanks for the docs and info!
Hodgkinson.
EDIT summary:
Did PCx ever go above V1.1? Was PCxAFS ever fixed? How about updates...
Im trying to get as much info as I can before I start installing stuff...
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I've only ever seen up to version 1.1, so chances are it is the latest public release?
No idea about PCxAFS, the docs don't give much info. Was it so you could read/write to Amiga partitions from PCx or something?
The emulator works fine using a hardfile in the same way that PC-Task does, so if that's all you need, then just install it and see how it goes.
Apparently you can get better read/write performace from a dedicated PC partition as opposed to using a hardfile. Never tried that myself. The hardfile is easier to manage, backup, etc.
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From what I can tell, PCxAFS is a part of PCx that allows MSDOS (Or whatever it is that your trying to run) to see the Amiga partitions/files and allows the Amiga to see the MSDOS partitions/files. It should allow read/write access, but in the version of PCx that I have the PCxAFS has been limited to showing the contents of directories since file access causes problems or somthing.
I was hoping that this might of been fixed by now since I was hoping to be able to use the networking that is set up on the A1200 (AmiTCP, 3C589 3COM card, SMBFS) to try out DOS programs downloaded from the Web (on another machiene) without having to faff around with 720K formatted DD disks.
Regards,
Hodgkinson.
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To copy data into the PC hardfile, you only need to mount it on the AmigaOS side. There is a feature in PCx which generates a mountfile for you, so all you do is "mount PC_HF0:" or whatever you call it. You can then copy data to/from the hardfile from the AmigaOS side thanks to mshf.device. At least I'm fairly sure you can copy data onto it, been a few years since I last had to do such a thing.
You can always use PKZIP and copy everything over in one file using "copytoi" on PC-Task.
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Hmmm. Somewhere I read (Don’t know if this is PCx or PCTask, or even something completely different) that having the hardfile being used at the same time on both the PC Emulation and the Amiga side results in errors if the content of the hardfile is changed due to the cache on one side no longer showing the real contents of the hardfile.
Hodgkinson.
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Been reading this thread for a few minutes, being an extensive user of PC-Task 4.4, I figured I'd throw my 2 cents in... I've been impressed by the speed of the ms-dos emulation, even with graphics. Most messydos stuff doesn't go over 320x200, though. I've also used it to record ms-dos stuff to vhs cassettes. (Nice being able to jack a "vga" machine to my NTSC TV) I most recently found it usefull when I found an old copy of Descent at a thrift shop, and had to use a ms-dos patch to get the files up to the Amiga versions requirements. Then I did a search on Aminet and found an Amiga version of the same patch... Anyway, I have 2 ms-dos partitions set up, one with windows3.1, and windows95 on the other. (3.1 boots alot faster, and all my DOS stuff is in there) The only problems I've had that I can think of are:
Mounting both win3.1 and win95 partitions as C: and D: apparently, windows detects a boot partition installed on D:, and rewrites the RDB. (I'm guessing here) When I do this, the D: drive is no longer bootable.
Copytoa and Copytoi commands don't like windows 95
pctcdrom.sys (for installing cd-roms on the emulator) is MS-Dos based, and some win95 cds won't work right. Plus my old scsi cd-rom used with a dataflyer scsi card (known bug with the dataflyer) didn't work. Fixed the latter with an IDE drive and a 4xeide card on my 1200.
pctmouse.exe mouse driver doesn't like some stuff, but works with MOST dos apps. (Windows chokes with it, if I recall... it likes its own mouse driver, which works, except I would like to use the amiga mouse pointer rather than windows, as the software controlled sprite running on emulated hardware slows things down quite a bit on my AGA system)
Trying to use nullser.devive (Reassigning the comm port to nullser.device,0, and using nullser.device,1 in MIAMI) to establish a crude LAN with the amiga has proven too troublesome to really work.
Can't install my copy of Amiga Explorer for use in the previous setup because of aforementioned cd-rom problem
Writing to the ms-dos partitions while running pc-task DOES scramble the partition pretty badly.
Other than all this, I've done some curious things with PC-Task. Mostly use it to rip windows icons that I like, and transfer them to the Amiga. Also used a term program to test communicating with the Amiga OS and Shapeshifter Macintosh OS with nullser.device. Worked pretty well, too. I've used it to cross-compile some Amiga programs I wrote for some windows friends of mine, too. Most serious work like that typically requires preparing all the files on the Amiga, saving as a pc-ascii file to the pc partition, running pc-task and letting the thing compile when I go to bed, wake up, and see what errors I got.... I've never had problems with serial/parallel port access (other than the usual ones associated with the operating systems the thing runs), and got a few classic games running on it. (alternate reality the city is my favorite of these) Anyway, I'm just rambling here, so I'll quit now...
Screenshot here, more pics here (http://webpages.charter.net/watertonian/1200brag/screen1.html)
(http://webpages.charter.net/watertonian/1200brag/screen/full/8.jpg)
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I remember trying PCTask on 1Mb A500; running MSDOS 'Prince of Persia' and 'Lemmings'. you'd get few seconds per frame!
:roll:
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ouch... that makes my head hurt. I thought prince of persia was available for amiga, though? And of course, lemmings.
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Just to update the thread (I've been ofline for a while...) i've managed to finially get DOS6.22 from the 3x 1.44MB floppy disk set onto my A1200 with PCx.
The main two things that I had to do was to install DOS from the floppies onto a old blank PC and gradually copy the system off of the old PC onto my work PC via floppies (Yawn...) to create a usable "System" that can be transferred straight over my network and into the hardfile on the amiga; and the other thing is that I had to make a bootable 720K floppy from the DOS 6.22 system on the PC in order to allow me to do all the usual fdisk...format...then importantly use SYS C: to make the partition in PCx bootable (Then copied all the above mentioned DOS system files into the partition) and yey, it works! Also got the mouse to work using some DOS bus mouse driver from driverguide (Never thought i'd be using stuff from driverguide on a amiga...).
Unfortunatly, the serial port doesn't seem to be working correctly with PCx and a communications program I am looking to use within PCx, so i'll have to give PCTask a try one day.
Hodgkinson.
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I tried also install freedos (to me the best DOS ever) in a partition, then tried to run with PC-Task. Made a dir, put there bin files, copy command.com to that dir, tell pc-task dir location and... nothing.
I remember using PC-Task in 1990-1991(?) with amiga 500. It really worked, but i have to say that even in those times PC was crap, compared to the low end 500. For example amigabasic was miles ahead from quickbasic (interface, compiled code size, stability (!)) and the only thing that i really need PCTask was DBaseIII (my best fave db yet) that ran very well, sometimes almost as the speed of a real pc those times...
Nowadays, I still use DOS in the office (they say it's emulated by xp... but im not quite sure). DOS is great for DBase/Clipper applications, just because it works and the interface is clear, special if i stay 4 hours working non-stop.
If you don't need DOS, i say to forget Windows and try Debian or other linux OS - I like Xubuntu. If you want computer art and superb games, try AMIGA (there's no competion in those areas - Amiga is still "miles ahead"). If you want a new 64/128 bits commercial stuff I would go to the new nintendo - seems pretty original and fun.
So, to finish: go buy a P II and a monitor/keyboard switcher and install freedos... And if you're tired of DOS don't throw away the computer! There's small kick-ass linux distros. My P II 300mhz runs firefox, etc and plays all sort of mp3, ape, ogg, etc ... and even better: plays mod xm & sid! (hmmm maybe one day i'll try AROS - didnt try yet cause i dont have gentoo linux installed)
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Yeasterday, when i gave up my search after civ2 for mac, i install my pc-task 4.4 again, to give him another shot. So i decided to put only win3.1 and not win95 and try civilization 2.
What can i say. I run these on 68040/33. Win 3.1 always want a native screen (AGA). (Normal dos mode is running on the voodoo 640*480, as it had been set on the pc-task configuration.)
Anyway the emulation was slow. I managed to run civ2 on pc-task, but it takes seconds to to move my settler unit to another square. (to set up a new game and play it takes 10-12 minute!)
While civ2demo on shapeshifter and os7.5.5 running at ok speed.